Method and apparatus for processing of materials using high-temperature torch

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for reforming carbonaceous material into syngas containing hydrogen and CO gases is disclosed. In one embodiment, a hydrogen rich torch reactor is provided for defining a reaction zone proximate to torch flame. One input of the reactor receives input material to be processed. Further inputs may be provided, such as for example to introduce steam and/or gases such as methane, oxygen, hydrogen, or the like.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to the processing of materialsusing a high-temperature torch reactor.

Across a variety of industries there is and has been a need and desireto efficiently process various materials, including but not limited tocarbonaceous materials and materials including some percentage ofhydrocarbons, and in particular to reform various materials with a highpercentage of volatiles (fly ash, biomass, municipal solid waste, lowrank coal, even heavy residuals after crude oil distillation) into otheruseful forms, such as synthesis gas or “syngas.” (As used herein, thesynonymous terms “synthesis gas” and “syngas” will be understoodaccording to accepted usage to refer to a fuel gas mixture consistingprimarily of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), small percentagesof hydrocarbons along with inert gases such as nitrogen, steam, andcarbon dioxide, and possibly various inorganic impurities, such assulfur, chlorine, and/or other halogen-containing species. Furthermore,as used herein, the term fly ash will be understood according toaccepted usage to refer generally to a category of particulate materialmost often produced as a product of coal combustion and the like;depending upon the source, the exact composition of fly ash may varyconsiderably, but may contain silicon dioxide (SiO₂), aluminum oxide(Al₂O₂), calcium oxide (CaO), and may also contain appreciablepercentages of carbon and other hydrocarbons.)

Various methods known in the prior art for accelerating reformationgenerally fall into one of two broad categories: The first categoryincludes methods involving the use of a catalyst; the second categoryincludes methods that do not involve catalysts, but involve interactionof the material to be reformed with a plasma generated by an internalelectrical discharge within the material or obtained by passing a gasthrough a high-voltage electric field prior to mixing with the materialto be reformed

Some known catalytic reactor approaches to endothermic hydrocarbonreformation involve an inefficient, indirect (e.g., through acontainment wall) heat supply to the reaction space. It has beenproposed in the prior art to employ an adiabatic heat transfer as acombination of an exothermic partial oxidation with endothermic steamreforming, sometimes referred to as “autothermal reforming.”

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,527 to Kobylinski, for example, there is proposeda two-stage process where a light hydrocarbon is firstly subjected to apartial oxidation and steam reforming on a bifunctional catalyst with atemperature increase associated with consumption of the all inputoxygen. In the second stage, unconverted hydrocarbon gases react withthe remaining steam on a nickel catalyst to reach a desirable conversionefficiency into syngas. According to the '527 patent, the heatrequirements for endothermic steam reforming on the first and secondstages are fully met by partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon without theneed of an external heat supply.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,857 to McShea et al. describes an autothermalreformer utilizing monolithic catalyst containing palladium for partialoxidation and platinum and platinum group metals catalyst for steamreforming. The autothermal reformer provides a relatively simple andcompact reactor within which a wide variety of hydrocarbonaceous feeds,from heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks to natural gas may be utilized forsynthesis gas production.

It has been recognized in the prior art that poisoning and fouling ofcatalysts are frequently the cause of catalysts losing their activity.The catalysts employed in reforming of hydrocarbons are characterized bytheir selective action on certain hydrocarbons and a high deactivationrate due to a presence of sulfur or chlorine containing species in thefeedstock. See, for example, (Bartholomew C., Mechanisms of CatalystDeactivation. Applied Catalysis A: General 212 (2001) (pp. 17-60).

It has also been proposed in the prior art that reforming ofhydrocarbons can be activated by continuous injection, or generation insitu, of a gas containing excited molecules, ions, electrons andradicals (plasma gas). Due to the continuous nature of such method, incontrast to the processes involving catalysts, these methods arepotentially applicable to any hydrocarbons, independent of theirstructures and impurities.

In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0272131, filed byCarabin et al., there is proposed a second stage gasifier, wherein gasescontaining the hydrocarbons left unconverted by the first stage gasifierare mixed with a thermal plasma gas (jet) in order to complete theconversion into syngas. The thermal plasma gas is produced in plasmatorches where the gas is heated to about 5000° C. along with passingthrough the gap between high-voltage electrodes. It is believed that apresence of ions, electrons, and radicals in the plasma gas attributesto its catalytic action on hydrocarbons decomposition.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,475,551 to Tsangaris et al. describes reformulatingchambers of different configurations with various locations for plasmatorches allowing for diverse flow patterns for process gas. The '551patent suggests that those flow patterns can improve a contact betweenprocess and plasma gases, and suggests that thermal plasma gas mixedwith a gaseous carbonaceous feedstock (reformulating process gas)facilitates decomposition of light and heavy hydrocarbons, soot,chlorinated species and tars in it into simple inorganic molecules suchas H2 and CO (syngas), halides, sulfides, and the like. A control systemregulates plasma torch power as well as consumption of additives such asair (oxygen), steam, and carbon dioxide to obtain a desired conversiondegree into syngas with a predetermined ratio between H2 and CO.

With regard to electric discharge generated plasma-based methods, U.S.Pat. No. 6,881,386 of Rabinovich et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 9,017,437 toHartvigsen et al., each suggest that different types and configurationsof continuous electric discharges within a gas containing hydrocarbonsfacilitate their reforming into syngas.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,428 to Babbitt appears to describe an application ofan oxy-hydrogen flame to introduce an ultra superheated steam into areaction space. The '428 patent proposes a sudden expansion pre-burnerto make an ultra superheated steam (up to 2800° C.) by combustion ofhydrogen with oxygen. Due to structural limitations, such steamtemperatures cannot be reached in conventional boilers. The '428 patentdoes not describe or suggest any direct contact between an oxy-hydrogenflame and hydrocarbons.

On the other hand, a direct contact between hydrocarbons and anoxy-hydrogen flame in a laboratory reactor placed into an electric tubefurnace has been reported on in publications of Granovskii et al.: “Aneffect of tar model compound toluene treatment with high-temperatureflames,” Fuel (2012), pp. 369-372; “Decomposition of tar model compoundtoluene by treatment with the high-temperature hydrogen/oxygen flame,”Proceedings of 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, pp.1530-1538, 6-10 Jun. 2011, Berlin, Germany.D01:10.571/19thEUBCE2011-VP2.4.1; (collectively, “the Granovskiireferences”). The Granovskii references suggest that an oxy-hydrogenflame acts like a thermal plasma gas promoting decomposition into syngasof an aromatic hydrocarbon largely diluted in steam and nitrogen toabout 1% vol. in the gas. The experimental design proposed in theGranovskii references did not assume or contemplate autothermalconditions, as the small hydrocarbon content involved did not allowreaching temperature levels needed for conversion. A separate input forair or oxygen required for an autothermal reforming of significantlygreater contents of hydrocarbons in industrial applications as well as areactor configuration with separate inlets for air/oxygen andhydrocarbon-steam mixture were not considered in those publications.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing and other considerations, the presentdisclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for processing ofmaterials to extract useful byproducts such as syngas through activationwithin a high-temperature torch reactor, without the need for a solidcatalyst.

In some examples, a material processing system incorporates a pluralityof high-temperatures torches to activate a decomposition into H2 and CO(syngas) and simultaneously extract solid constituent elements of theprocessed material. Oxygen may supplied in a substoichiometric quantityto meet partial oxidation requirements to make syngas, according to thefollowing Reaction (1):

$\begin{matrix}{{{C_{n}H_{m}} + {\left( \frac{n}{2} \right)O_{2}}} = {{n{CO}} + {\left( \frac{m}{2} \right)H_{2}} + {Heat}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

In one example, the injection of the flame avoids the need for solidcatalysts, which as described above are very sensitive to impurities inthe gas and the type of processing hydrocarbons.

With adiabatic temperature of the oxy-hydrogen rich flame (i.e.approaching 2800° C.) the number of radicals and ions in combustionproducts increases. An interaction of those radicals (especially “OH.”radicals) with hydrocarbons promotes their breakdown reactions. Theoxy-hydrogen rich flame is associated with an ultra-high (extraordinary)superheated steam in combustion products. As is known by persons ofordinary skill in the art, the higher the steam temperature, the greateris its promotion of endothermic reforming of hydrocarbons according tothe following Reaction (2):

$\begin{matrix}{{{C_{n}H_{m}} + {{nH}_{2}O}} = {{n{CO}} + {\left( {\frac{m}{2} + n} \right)H_{2}} - {Heat}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

An excess of steam, provided by a mix of water vapor with gaseoushydrocarbons (C n H m) in the input flow, also assists in shifting ofthis reaction to the right unless a dilution of hydrocarbons offsetsthis shift by a substantial temperature decrease in the reaction zone.

Hydrogen produced in accordance with Reaction (2) above competes foroxygen with a hydrocarbon (Reaction (1)) through steam, generating areaction according to the following Reaction (3):

$\begin{matrix}{{{nH}_{2} + {\left( \frac{n}{2} \right)O_{2}}} = {{{nH}_{2}O} + {Heat}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

A partial oxidation reaction of hydrocarbons (Reaction (1)) can beobtained as a combination of Reactions (2) and (3). A mechanism of thepartial oxidation Reaction (1) through Reactions (2) and (3) avoidsundesirable chemical routes associated with incomplete combustion andcoke, soot, and tars generation as shown, for instance, Reaction (4)below:

$\begin{matrix}{{{C_{n}H_{m}} + {\left( \frac{n}{2} \right)O_{2}}} = {{\left( \frac{n}{4} \right){CO}_{2}} + {\left( \frac{n}{2} \right)H_{2}O} + {C_{n - \frac{n}{4}}{H_{m - n}\left( {{coke},{soot},{tars}} \right)}} + {Heat}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

In one example, the oxy-hydrogen rich flame ignites oxidation reactionsin the hydrocarbon-oxygen mixture accompanied by their own heat release,which retards cooling the oxy-hydrogen flame combustion products. Thisretardation inclines steam (main combustion product) temperatureassociated with an increasing content of radicals in it. Both factorsfavor Reactions (1)=(2)+(3) in comparison to Reaction (4).

The use of the oxy-hydrogen rich flame is analogous to utilization ofthermal plasma gas (air) to convert gaseous hydrocarbons into syngas inreformers and gasifiers, but, advantageously, it is inherently morereactive and consumes substantially less energy, Moreover, anoxy-hydrogen rich burner, in contrast to a plasmatron, enables aflexible and simple integration into a chemical reactor.

In some examples, the conversion or reformation may be activated by amethane-hydrogen rich flame ignited within a converter constructed inaccordance with one example. The converter comprises a methane-hydrogenrich burner, igniter, inputs for oxygen, steam, and solid, gaseous orliquid feedstock materials. The stream is injected in vicinity of thetips of one or more torches. In some examples, oxygen may be introducedeither upstream or immediately downstream of the burners. Oxygen may besupplied in a substoichiometric amount to avoid complete combustion ofhydrocarbons into CO₂ and H₂O. The methane-hydrogen rich torches consumeexternally generated, mixed stoichiometric or sub stoichiometricquantities of methane, hydrogen and/or oxygen. Following this mixtureignition, the methane-hydrogen rich burner is applied to a feedstockstream. The torch flames, due to their high temperatures of up to 2800°C., intensive ultraviolet radiation, a presence of radicals (especially“OH·” radicals), and, in some examples, ultra-superheated steam,actively initializes reforming of the processed material into syngas orother useful byproducts. This is considered to be an autothermalreforming process. After conditioning, the produced syngas can beadvantageously utilized in a wide range of industrial technologiesincluding power generation, synthetic chemicals such as ammonia, andfuels such as methanol.

In some examples, the use of a methane-hydrogen rich flame supplants theneed for generation of thermal plasma gas (air) as in prior artreformers and gasifiers. The methane-hydrogen flame may be more reactiveand/or more energy efficient than a plasmatron. A methane-hydrogen richburner, in contrast to a plasmatron, enables a flexible and simpleintegration into a high-temperature converter. The use of themethane-hydrogen flame is especially beneficial if processed materialsare highly contaminated with sulfur, and halogen containing species thatcan deactivate a majority of metallic catalysts.

In various examples, the process exhibits a high tolerance to impuritiesin the input feedstock and admits to simple adjustment to differentfeedstocks by controlling consumption of hydrogen/methane-oxygen mixturein the flame, input steam-to-carbon, and oxygen-to-carbon ratios. Theheating value of the hydrogen consumed in the oxy-hydrogen rich burnerpreferably does not exceed of 15% of heating value of the syngasproduced in order to be economically reasonable.

Moreover, in some examples hydrogen may be separated from the syngasproduced from the inventive process, using, for example, known pressureswing adsorption technologies and techniques, and may advantageously befed back to the reformer zone as a supply to the oxy-hydrogen burner,thereby possibly enhancing the overall efficiency of the overall system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages described herein will bemore fully appreciated by reference to a detailed description of one ormore examples, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example material processingsystem in accordance with this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another example material processing systemin accordance with this disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the example materialprocessing system from FIG. 2 including a reactor portion thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the portion of the example material processingsystem from FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the portion of the example material processingsystem from FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 6 is a side, cross-sectional view of the portion of the examplematerial processing system from FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a torch from the example material processingsystem from FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 8 is a side, cross-sectional view of the torch from FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an implementation of the examplematerial processing system from FIG. 2 ; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective, cut-away view of the implementation of theexample material processing system from FIG. 2 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the disclosure that follows, in the interest of clarity, not allfeatures of actual implementations are described. It will of course beappreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation,as in any such project, numerous engineering and technical decisionsmust be made to achieve the developers” specific goals and subgoals(e.g., compliance with system and technical constraints), which willvary from one implementation to another. Moreover, attention willnecessarily be paid to proper engineering practices for the environmentin question. It will be appreciated that such development efforts mightbe complex and time-consuming, outside the knowledge base of typicallaymen, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those ofordinary skill in the relevant fields.

Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown a functional block diagram of ahydrogen/methane torch reforming system 100 in accordance with oneexample. As shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 includes a hydrogen/methanetorch reactor 102 having a number of input ports as will be hereinafterdescribed. System 100 further comprises at least one hydrogen/methanetorch 104 inserted into a port 106 of reactor 102 and adapted to producea methane-hydrogen flame within a contained reaction zone defined withinreactor 102, as will hereinafter be described in further detail. A feedinput nozzle 108 is provided for introducing material to be processedand/or reformed into reactor 102. In one example, an output 110 of thereactor 102 passes through a heat exchanger 112 in order that thermalenergy of the reactor output can be at least partially utilized withinheat exchanged 112 to pre-heat other process elements, as hereindescribed. Such utilization of thermal energy of output 110 from reactor102 may advantageously contribute to an overall level of efficiency inthe operation of system 100, as would be appreciated by those ofordinary skill in the art.

In one example, operation of system 100 may be continuous, such that theoutput 110 from reactor 102 substantially comprises a continuous stream,which may have both gaseous and particulate components. After passingthrough heat exchanger 112, the reactor output 110 may be applied to acooler 114 to decrease temperature to a level associated with watervapor condensation into liquid water, which may then be produced at anoutput 116. In the present example, the cooled output 110 may thenprovided from an output 118 of cooler 114 to a separator 120. In oneexample, separator 120 functions to separate and extract hydrogen fromthe output 110 of reactor 102. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that various separation techniques and technologies are knownfor separating and extracting hydrogen gas in a suitable manner. In oneexample, separator 120 may comprise a pressure swing adsorption (PSA)unit. PSA units are employed as a means of separating some gas speciesfrom a mixture of gases under pressure according to the species'molecular characteristics and affinity for an adsorbent material.Suitable PSA technologies and processes are well known to those ofordinary skill in the art.

In another example, separator 120 may comprise a centrifugal separationdevice such as a vortex cooler. Various suitable types andconfigurations of vortex coolers are known and commercially availablefrom various suppliers.

It is contemplated that other separation technologies, including,without limitation, membrane gas separation, may be employed inconjunction with the various examples described herein.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 , separator 120 functions to separatehydrogen from other components of output 110. The remaining componentsof output 110 may be presented at an output 122 of separator 120, whilethe hydrogen gas (H₂) separated from the output 110 by separator 120 maybe directed through at an output 124 of separator 120 to be fed back toreactor 102 to supply fuel for the flame produced by the one or moretorches 104. A valve 126 may be provided to selectively control anamount of H₂ fed back from separator 120 to torch 104. In addition, orin the alternative, H₂ extracted by separator 120 may be provided at aseparate output 128 of system 100, as selectively controlled by a valve130.

Reactor 102 may have a number of additional input ports for receivingconstituent materials for the process operation of system 100. In oneexample, there may be provided a source 132 of oxygen (O₂) via an input134 to reactor 102. This oxygen supply 132 may be selectively introducedby means of a valve 136. The oxygen supplied at input 134 may becombined with hydrogen (H₂) and/or methane (CH₄) supplied to torch 102to create an oxy-hydrogen/methane flame.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the H₂ supplied to torch 104 is fed through aninput 136 of torch 104 may be provided from an external H₂ source 138,or may be provided from separator 120 via a feedback line 140 fromseparator 120, through valve 126, as herein described. As would beappreciated by those of ordinary skill, even if it is desired for mostor all of the H₂ needed for the oxy-hydrogen flame to be provided in arecycle arrangement from separator 120, an external H₂ source 138 may beprovided for the purposes of providing H₂ long enough for the process toproceed for a period sufficient for a steady stream of H₂ to be producedby separator 120.

Reactor 102 may also have a steam input port 142 for introducingsuper-heated steam into reactor 102. In one example, steam is producedby a boiler and super-heater 144 receiving an input 146 of water (H₂O).An output 148 of boiler and super-heater 144 may be directed throughheat exchanger 112 prior to introduction into reactor 102 through inputport 142. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , steam at output 148 ofboiler and super-heater 144 may be partially directed through a valve150 to be combined with input feedstock carried through an input line152 to input port 108 of reactor 102. As shown in FIG. 1 , in oneexample, input feedstock 154 may be introduced into system 100 via heatexchanger 112, thereby pre-heating the input feedstock 154 prior tointroduction into reactor 102 via input port 108. Steam through valve150 may serve as a carrier for the input feedstock 154.

Turning to FIG. 2 , there is shown a block diagram of another example ofa reactor system 200 for processing input material using a plurality ofhigh-temperature torches in a reactor. In particular, system 200 in oneexample includes a reactor 202 having an input 204 for receiving inputfeedstock 206. Reactor 202 is equipped with at least one, and in theexample of FIG. 2 , a plurality of torches 208 for creating one or moretorch flames 210 within reactor 202. In one example, reactor 202 issubstantially cylindrical, and torches 208 are disposed in aspaced-apart circumferential relationship around reactor 202, such thatinput feedstock 206 passes transversely through torch flames 210 withinreactor 202. The one or more torch flames 210 within reactor 202 definea combustion zone represented generally by dashed line 211 in FIG. 2

In one example, each torch 208 has at least one input 212 for receivinga supply of a torch fuel, such as hydrogen (H₂) or methane (CH₄), or acombination thereof, and an input 214 for receiving an additional input,such as oxygen (O₂). As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skillhaving the benefit of the present disclosure, the relative amounts oftorch fuel(s) and other inputs may be varied depending upon such factorsas the desired temperature to be achieved at torch flames 210 and thecomposition of input feedstock 206. Moreover, the geometry of torchflames 210 and their positioning and orientation with respect to thepath of input feedstock 206 can also influence the overall performanceof system 200.

As noted above, in another example, each torch may have inputs (notshown explicitly in FIG. 2 ) for receiving other torch fuels or inputs.In various examples, the inputs supplied to torches 208 may comprise,separately, or in various combinations, methane, hydrogen, acetylene,oxygen, and/or nitrogen. In some examples, nitrogen may comprise lessthan ten percent (10%) of the torch input. It is contemplated that thecomposition of torch inputs introduced through inputs 212 and/or 214 oftorches 208 may vary depending upon the nature and composition of inputfeedstock 206.

As shown in FIG. 2 , torches 208 may be arranged such that inputfeedstock 206 passes through a plurality of stages of torch flames 210as it passes through reactor 202, providing a sequence of relativelysmall volume targets for torch flames 210. In one example, and as shownin FIG. 2 , torches 208, and hence torch flames 210, are oriented at anangle with respect to the sidewall of reactor 202.

With continued reference to the example of FIG. 2 , reactor 202 may beprovided with one or more inputs 216 for the introduction of steam intoreactor 202. In one example, steam from inputs 216 is introduceddownstream of torches 208, and is provided to facilitate thehigh-temperature reaction induced by heat from torch flames 210. Inaddition, in one example, additional reactants, such as methane, may beintroduced into reactor 202 via one or more inputs 217, as shown in FIG.2 . Inputs 217 be positioned ahead of, within, or beyond combustion zone211.

In some examples, input feedstock 206 may be introduced into reactor 202along with a gaseous and/or liquid carrier. In one example, an inputsuch as fly ash, a particulate, may be carried into reactor 202 with agaseous stream, such as a stream of methane (CH₄). In another example,an input such as fly ash may be mixed with water and introduced intoinput 204. Once input feedstock 206 has passed through torch flames 210,with or without an accompanying carrier, a resulting primary reactoroutput stream 218 of processed material exits reactor 202, as shown inFIG. 2 . Depending upon the composition of input feedstock 206, asdescribed in further detail below, processed material stream 218 mayinclude both gaseous and particulate (i.e., substantially solid)components. In one example, therefore, reactor 202 is orientedsubstantially vertically, as shown in FIG. 2 , such that with gravityassistance, particulate components 220 of processed stream 216 may becollected in a containment portion 222 of processing system 200, whilegaseous components 224 of primary reactor output stream 218 may exit asshown in FIG. 2 to a cooler/separator 226.

In some examples, input feedstock 206 may be preheated (for example, asdescribed in the example of FIG. 1 ) to promote the reaction processeswithin reactor 202.

As in the example described above with reference to FIG. 1 ,cooler/separator 226 in the example of FIG. 2 may facilitate thecondensation of liquid vapors, such as water vapor, contained within thegaseous component of primary reactor output stream 218. Liquidsaccumulated in cooler/separator 226 may be extracted from system 200 viaan output line 230. As shown in FIG. 2 , some amount of particulate(i.e., solid) material 232 may also accumulate in a collection area 234of cooler/separator 226.

Although only a single cooler block 226 is depicted in FIG. 2 , in someexamples, more than one cooling stage may be implemented. A first stagecooler may primarily bring reactor output 224 to a temperaturesufficient to precipitate out residual heavy metals and the like.Subsequent cooling stages may further condensate the reactor output toextract liquids, such as water, which may be released through output 230in the representation of FIG. 2 . Cooler/separator 226 (or more than onecooler/separator) may have a collection area 234 for accumulation ofprecipitated material 232.

In one example, an output 238 of cooler/separator 226, with one or morethan one stage, may convey a substantially gaseous output stream 240 ofnon-liquid and non-particulate output from reactor 202 to a scrubber236. In scrubber 236, further cleaning of the output stream 240 occurs,such as to extract components such as gaseous H₂S, nitrous components(NO_(x) and/or NH₃, for example), using chemical, catalytic and otherknown scrubbing techniques. In one example, scrubber 236 may be providedwith a liquid drain 242 and a gas output 244.

Among the gaseous output from scrubber 236 may be an appreciablepercentage of carbon dioxide CO₂. As will be appreciated by those ofordinary skill, the composition of the outputs 242, 244 from scrubber236 will depend upon the nature of the input feedstock 206, along withany carrier materials, such as carrier gases or liquids.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure that the various process outputs, such asoutput(s) 230 from cooler/separator 226, and outputs 242 and 244 fromscrubber 236, may produce materials (liquids, solids, or a combinationthereof) requiring further processing for recapture, re-use, and/ordisposal.

Turning to FIG. 3 , there is shown a perspective view of a portion ofthe example processing system 200 of FIG. 2 , including an exampleimplementation of reactor 202. As shown in FIG. 3 , input 204 isprovided for introduction of input feedstock. It will be understood bythose of ordinary skill having the benefit of the present disclosurethat various physical implementations of input 204 may employeddepending upon the composition and nature of the input feedstock. Theexample of FIG. 3 is generally adapted to receive a predominantlygaseous feedstock, whereas an implementation of system 200 may beprovided for processing other input feedstock, such as fly ash or thelike, having a more particulate composition. In such cases, the inputfeedstock may include, in addition to the material to be processed, oneor more carriers, such as gaseous carriers, or liquid carriers. Forexample, fly ash may be mixed with water or other liquids and introducedthrough an input 204 in the form of a liquid slurry.

FIG. 3 shows first and second torch input lines 212 and 214, as well assteam input(s) 216. A valve 240 may be provided to control the supply offirst torch fuel through inputs 212, and a valve 242 may be provided tocontrol the supply of second torch fuel through inputs 214.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the portion of system 200 from FIG. 3 . FIG. 5is a side view of the portion of system 200 from FIG. 3 . FIG. 6 is aside, cross-sectional view of the portion of system 200 from FIG. 3 .

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side and side cross-sectional views, respectively, ofa torch 208 such as depicted in the system 200 of FIGS. 2-6 . As shownin FIGS. 7 and 8 , torch 208 includes inputs 212 and 214. As notedabove, in some examples input 212 may be for receiving a supply of atorch fuel, such as hydrogen (H₂) or methane (CH₄), and a second input214 may be for receiving a supply of a second input, such as oxygen(O₂).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , fuel at input 212 passes through an innertube 250 to a tee fitting 252 which receives input 214 introduced into aouter tube 254 that is coaxial with inner tube 250. Tubes 250 and 254extend through a coupling 256 which, as is apparent in FIG. 5 , forexample, abuts the side wall of reactor 202. A distal portion 258 oftorch 208 extends into reactor 202.

In accordance with one example, an arrangement of fittings and bushingsdesignated collectively with reference numeral 260 is provided foradjusting the extent to which the distal tips 262 of tubes 250 and 254extend into reactor 202. In one example, the spatial positioning oftorch tip 262 may be adjusted to optimize the reactions taking placewithin combustion zone 211, and adjustment of the position of torch tip262 may be desirable depending upon the nature and composition of inputfeedstock 206. It is known that a flame, such as a torch flame, hasmultiple different zones, such as an inner “non-luminous zone,” a “darkzone” a “luminous zone,” and a “non-luminous veil;” these differentzones are characterized by different relative temperatures, and thepresence and extent of one or more of these zones may be dependent uponthe fuel being combusted as well as the combustion environment (e.g.,the oxygen concentration). In one example, the extension of torch tips262 may be adjusted to ensure that an incoming input feedstock stream206 passes through optimal zones of each torch flame 210. To the extentthat in some examples, input feedstock stream 206 may pass through orpast a succession of torch flames 210, and each torch tip 262 may beadjusted independently to achieve optimal results.

At least one example has been described herein for the purposes ofillustration. It is contemplated and to be explicitly understood thatvarious substitutions, alterations, and/or modifications, including butnot limited to any such implementation variants and options as may havebeen specifically noted or suggested herein, including inclusion oftechnological enhancements to any particular method step or systemcomponent discovered or developed subsequent to the date of thisdisclosure, may be made without departing from the technical and legalscope of the appended claims.

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled)
 5. (canceled) 6.(canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled) 11.A method for processing input material, comprising: directing an inputfeedstock into a reactor having at least one input for a combustibletorch fuel to at least one torch nozzle, the at least one torch nozzlebeing adapted to generate at least one non-plasma flame within saidreactor to define a combustion zone; producing super heated steam in aboiler and superheater; injecting the superheated steam into thereactor; directing a primary output stream from said reactor vessel intoat least one cooler operable to cool the primary reactor output streamand generate a secondary output stream; directing the secondary outputstream from the at least one cooler into a scrubber, the scrubber beingoperable to extract at least one gas from the secondary output stream.12. (canceled)
 13. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein thecombustible torch fuel comprises hydrogen.
 14. A method in accordancewith claim 13, wherein the combustible torch fuel further comprisesmethane.
 15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein thecombustible torch fuel is combined with oxygen.
 16. A method inaccordance with claim 13, further comprising selectively directing theinput feedstock proximally to the tip of at least one flame andintersecting that flame at angle of 90 degrees plus or minus 60 degrees.17. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the scrubber isfurther operable to precipitate solid impurities from the primaryreactor output stream.
 18. A method in accordance with claim 11, whereinthe combustible torch fuel comprises less than ten percent (10%)nitrogen.
 19. A method in accordance with claim 11, further comprisingpreheating the input feedstock prior to directing the input feedstockinto the reactor vessel.
 20. Heating the input feedstock with thesuperheated steam before directing the input feedstock to the reactor.